


Asking For A Little Help

by Krasimer



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bruce is a good friend, Gen, High School, Homework is hard, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter needs homework help, Precious Peter Parker, is difficult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 10:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16910859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krasimer/pseuds/Krasimer
Summary: Peter Parker needs Bruce Banner's help -- Specifically Bruce's, not the Hulk's.(AKA: Homework is hard enough in high school even when you aren't a superhero.)





	Asking For A Little Help

The knock on the door was unexpected.

Bruce actually looked at his tea, then the clock, then the door again. He thought, for a moment, that he’d hallucinated it due to a combination of the late hour and a mismeasurement of the tea mixture. When the noise sounded again, however, he set his mug down and stood up.

The knock sounded again, more timid the third time around.

Opening the door, Bruce tilted his head in confusion as Peter Parker stood on the other side. He had his suit bundled up in his hands, his fingers kneading into the material nervously as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry about it being this late, but I needed help and you’re the only one I knew would be awake right now.”

“Peter—”

“I just really needed help and I need it tonight and—”

“Peter.”

Peter stopped rambling and met Bruce’s eyes, his own eyes wide and big. “Yeah?”

“Hulk isn’t…” Bruce shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let him out right now. It wouldn’t be a good idea and whatever situation you’re facing, he would only make it worse.”

“What?” Peter blinked a couple of times, then looked down at his hands and shook his head. “Oh. No. No no no.” he dropped his suit onto the door handle, letting it dangle. “I have a science project due tomorrow, in the morning, and I don’t have it done. I don’t—I don’t have it finished and it’s due first thing, first period. I need your help with it. If…If that’s okay.” He shook his head again. “The last couple of nights have been heavy-duty patrolling and I haven’t had time to sit down and work on it.”

“Oh.” Bruce blinked a couple of times, then stepped back. “Come on in, then.”

“Thanks,” Peter was practically jittering out of his skin as he stepped in the room, pulling his backpack off his shoulder as he went. “I mostly just need someone to check my equations, my calculations and stuff. I’d get someone else to do it, but everyone else I know is asleep right now.” He shrugged a shoulder as Bruce walked past him and pulled the other chair out. “Even Mister Stark.”

“Tony’s actually sleeping right now?”

“Yeah. I think he finally passed out in his workshop.”

Bruce sat back down. “Alright.” He watched as Peter started pulling out a stack of papers and set them on the table, followed by a fresh pad of paper and a pen. The kid had needed help and had come to him.

It was flattering, honestly.

With a glance over the first sheet held out in his directions, Bruce actually smiled. Peter had done good work on his assignment. “This all looks good,” he said of the first paper, watching as the teenager’s smile grew and his eyes brightened. He looked exhausted, worn out by his schedule of fighting, and Bruce almost remembered being that age.

Almost remembered being that young.

They spent a couple of hours going over Peter’s work, occasionally correcting a miswritten number or a calculation gone wrong.

He really did only need a few corrections, here and there.

By the time they packed it up, Peter was yawning big enough that his head might be split in half from it and Bruce was starting to actually feel tired. One-thirty in the morning, with school in six hours.

As Peter was heading out the door, Bruce stopped him. “If you ever need help with this again,” he let the end of the sentence hang in the air, unspoken but supportive. Peter nodded and smiled again, barely remembering to grab his suit back off the door handle.

“Goo’night Mister Bruce,” Peter yawned again and waved goodbye as he walked down the hallway and out of sight.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at midnight for a part of NaNo.


End file.
